Universität Karlsruhe (TH)
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The Universität Karlsruhe (TH) (also called Fridericiana / Karl Tech) is a mainly technical university in the city of Karlsruhe, Germany and is a leading research university. In the natural sciences there is no university nationwide getting more money from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft than the Universität Karlsruhe[1]. In the engineering sciences the university is in the top three together with University of Stuttgart, after the RWTH Aachen.
With regard to research and teaching it is among the best German universities. This is demonstrated for example by the proportion of international students studying there, namely over twenty per cent. 0.6% of all students receive grants from the German Studienstiftung (German National Academic Foundation) which only accepts the most talented. No other university with a focus on natural sciences and technology is more attractive for those sponsoring students. [2]
The faculty of chemistry belongs to "the cream of the crop in chemistry" in the world.[3]
Since October 13, 2006 the Universität Karlsruhe (TH) counts as one of three elite universities in Germany.[4] [5] [6]
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[edit] History
The University of Karlsruhe was founded as a Polytechnische Schule (polytechnical school) on October 7, 1825 having as an example the École polytechnique in Paris. As such it is the first Technical University or Technische Hochschule (TH) in Germany. In 1865 Grand Duke Frederick I of Baden (German: Friedrich) raised the school to the status of Hochschule ("Institute/University"), and the university has also been known since 1902 as the Fridericiana in his honour. In 1885 the institution was renamed a Technische Hochschule (Institute of Technology), and in 1967 it became Universität (a full University).
On April 6, 2006 the contract for the foundation of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) was signed by Prof. Horst Hippler and Dr. Dieter Ertmann from the University of Karlsruhe and Prof. Manfred Popp and Ass.jur. Sigurd Lettow from Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe. The name was given after the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the leading US technical university. [7] The Technische Hochschule Karlsruhe (the antecessor of the University of Karlsruhe) was a role model for William Barton Rogers when he founded 'Massachusetts Institute of Technology' (MIT) in 1861. [8]
[edit] Admission and Education
The Universität Karlsruhe (TH) is not selective in its admission except for Industrial Engineering and Management.
However, the actual selection process takes place in the Grundstudium (study period leading to a Vordiplom). Education at Universität Karlsruhe (TH) tends to be theoretically oriented with a high amount of mathematics involved throughout the courses.
[edit] Faculties
The university has 11 faculties:
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Chemistry and Biology
- Humanities and Social sciences
- Architecture
- Civil engineering, Geology and Ecological sciences
- Mechanical engineering
- Chemical and process engineering
- Electrical engineering and Information technology
- Computer Science
- Economics
Many departments cooperate, some are shared with the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe.
[edit] Famous people and discoveries
- Ferdinand Redtenbacher (1809-1863), founder of mechanical engineering in Germany .
- Carl Benz (1844-1929), the inventor of the automobile, studied here and received an honorary Ph.D. in 1914.
- Karl Ferdinand Braun (1850-1918) developed the cathode ray tube in 1897 which is widely used in today's televisions. In 1909 he received the Nobel Prize for it.
- Otto Lehmann (1855-1922), the "father" of liquid crystal research.
- Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (1857-1894) discovered electromagnetic waves in 1887 which are the basis of radio. The SI unit of frequency, hertz is named after him.
- Fritz Haber (1868-1934) developed the high-pressure synthesis of ammonia in 1909 and won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1918.
- Wolfgang Gaede (1878-1945) founded vacuum technology.
- Wilhelm Nusselt (1882-1957) co-founded technical thermodynamics.
- Hermann Staudinger (1881-1965) won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1953, for his discoveries in the field of macromolecular chemistry.
- Edward Teller (1908-2003) known as the father of the hydrogen bomb
[edit] Famous students
| Department | Names |
|---|---|
| Architecture | Oswald Mathias Ungers, Albert Speer |
| Civil Engineering und Geology | Robert Gerwig, Dieter Ludwig |
| Mechanical Engineering | Carl Benz, Emil von Škoda (Škoda), Bernhard Howaldt, Franz Reuleaux, August Thyssen, Roland Mack |
| Mathematics | Fritz Noether |
| Physics | Johann Jakob Balmer, Fritz-Rudolf Güntsch, Edward Teller, Klaus Tschira, Bernd Schmidbauer |
| Electrical Engineering, Informational Technology | Rolf Wideröe, Dieter Zetsche, Hasso Plattner, Dietmar Hopp |
| Business Engineering | Franz Fehrenbach, Stefan Quandt, Michael Rogowski |
[edit] Presidents
- 1968 - 1983 Professor Dr. Dr.-Ing. h. c. Heinz Draheim
- 1983 - 1994 Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. Heinz Kunle
- 1994 - 2002 Professor Dr. Sigmar Wittig
- 2002 - current Professor Dr. sc. tech. Horst Hippler[9]
[edit] References
- ^ Exzellent in Naturwissenschaften. 03.07.2003
- ^ Die Eliteschmiede
- ^ ScienceWatch: Chemistry Research. Institutions Ranked by Citations and Citation Impact. July/August 1998
- ^ Karlsruhe is elite university.
- ^ The South is Brilliant.
- ^ HIGHER EDUCATION: A German Ivy League Takes Shape.
- ^ The strategy for the future
- ^ Karlsruhe Institute of Technology an der Universität Karlsruhe (2007). Retrieved on 2007-02-24.
- ^ Office of the President of Universität Fridericiana
[edit] External links
